


Heart of Iron

by AvengersBarnes



Series: Heimdall's Mission [4]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Agent Carter References, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Aunt Peggy Carter, Background Relationships, Bisexual Peggy Carter, Canon Temporary Character Death, Canonical Character Death, F/F, F/M, Family Feels, Fix-It, Howard Stark's Bad Parenting, Iron Man 1, Kid Tony Stark, Minor Character Death, On Hiatus, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rewrite, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, but only for a little bit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-13
Updated: 2019-06-30
Packaged: 2020-03-02 21:30:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18819397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AvengersBarnes/pseuds/AvengersBarnes
Summary: Tony Stark was a lonely child, desperate for his father's love and attention. Heimdall's second mission is to help the lost little boy become the man he was always meant to be. Sometimes all it takes is a friend.





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So welcome to part 2 of Heimdall's mission. Well technically this is part 4? But the others are just one-shots based around The First Mistake. This is the official sequel :D I highly recommend you read TFM first. However, if you don't wish to do that then I'm gonna give you a quick breakdown about what you need to know. 
> 
> \-----
> 
> Heimdall is sent back in time after the events of Infinity War, by a creature who reveals themselves to be the embodiment of Time. His mission is to fix the mistakes in the timeline that lead to the dusting. His first mission is to prevent Bucky Barnes from becoming the Winter Soldier. His actions to prevent this have a surprising consequent as Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes end up in a secret relationship, Peggy Carter subsequently starts dating a nurse in their team by the name Angie Martinelli. Steve follows Bucky off the train and they are both rescued by Peggy and the Commandos. Steve is injured and Bucky temporarily takes up the mantle of Captain America. Following the assassination of Arnim Zola a file lands of the Colonel's desk with all the information they need to take down Red Skull and Hydra. They attack Hydra's base in the mountains but Schmidt almost escapes. Both Steve and Bucky manage to hijack the plane and defeat him before he can release any of his bombs. However, they are unable to land the plane safely and both Steve and Bucky end up crashing the plane into the ice. 
> 
> \------
> 
> Now this story starts in 1978. Tony is just 8 in this chapter but the rest of the story will be a rewrite of Iron Man 1. Much like TFM was a rewrite of Catfa.

Tony’s hands were shaking as he very carefully attached the last wire in his latest invention. He had been watching old videos of Stark Expos. He loved the way his dad owned the stage, there were lights, fireworks, dancers and music. His dad beamed at the camera ready to show the world his brand new technology, technology that would change the world. His dad always looked happy in those videos. Tony wished that he would smile more like that now. In the most recent video he’d been watching, Howard Stark had eagerly announced that flying cars were only a few years away. An old car was sat on the stage and the audience cheered as it hovered off the ground for a few seconds before sparks flew and the car landed back on the stage with a loud thud. Tony had been fascinated. The footage was almost 40 years old, before even Captain America was alive, and his dad had managed to make a car hover.

Tony couldn’t understand why his dad had never finished making a flying car. He’d said it was only a few years away and now, 40 years later, cars were still determined to stay on the tarmac. So Tony had spent hours looking over the footage. He’d even managed to find his dad’s old plans in his desk drawer. He didn’t have the right material to recreate his dad’s hover car but he did have his remote control car and his dad’s toolbox. Once he had fixed the equations in his dad’s work it was just a case of shrinking the whole thing to fit his toy car. It was fiddling trying to make the adjustments on such a small scale but he had a magnifying glass in bedside drawer from when he used to imagine he was Sherlock Holmes when he was younger. 

The wires sparked when the connection was made and Tony grinned. He made a mad dash across the room to grab the remote controller. He held his breath as he turned on the car. He drove the small red vehicle round his room for a few laps before flicking the new switch. He was absolutely delighted when the small wheels moved out of the way to reveal the new shiny silver anti-gravity pads. The controller started to vibrate in his hand and the car started to hum loudly. Tony let out a gleeful giggle as the car began to float a few centimetres off the ground. Tony grinned as he continued to drive the car round his room. There were no sparks, no clouds of smoke, just a tiny car hovering above the carpet. 

He had done it! 

Now all he had to do was show his dad and they could make a real life sized version together and his dad’s dream of flying cars would finally be a reality. 

This was sure to make his dad proud of him. 

He grabbed the small toy and ran through the corridors of Stark Mansion to find his dad. He checked the office first but there was no sign of him. He checked the lounge but there was only his Mum sat by the television reading a book. He dashed past Jarvis in the garden and sprinted down the path towards the shed. He burst through the door, laughing joyfully, to see his dad hunched over a briefcase full of the latest Stark Industries tech.

“Hey Dad! Look what I made Dad!” Tony waved the toy car in his dad’s face as he tried to get his attention. The older man barely looked up from his workstation and swatted Tony’s hand away. 

“I’m busy Tony. Maybe Later.” His dad sighed tiredly. 

Tony pouted and tried to duck under his dad’s arm so he could have a better look at the weapons in the briefcase.  “But Dad!” He whined as his dad ruffled his hair.

“Later.” His dad said firmly. His tone left no room to argue and Tony sighed. He trudged out the room with his car ignoring the way his throat started to burn as he furiously blinked the tears from his eyes. His dad was busy and he knew that. He would come back later. 

* * *

Peggy was exhausted. She was proud of everything she had achieved but running Shield was no easy task. There was just endless paperwork and she longed for the days of adventure that she used to have. Her missions with Edwin Jarvis had honestly been the highlight of her life after the war. She had truly felt alive during those days. She still went on the occasional mission now but more often than not she had to delegate the task to a younger agent. Not because she couldn’t undertake the mission but because she simply just did not have the time to spend weeks in the field. There were too many other things that constantly needed her attention. 

It was just one thing after another and Peggy was just so bored!

“You should have entered show business doll. We all know how fantastic you look in a wig.” Angie  sang happily. 

Angie was perched on the corner of her desk watching her work. She was wearing a beautiful pale sky-blue dress that accentuated her figure beautifully and blood red heels.  Peggy had had many dreams about Angie in those shoes and her girlfriend knew it. She always made a point of wearing them when they went on a date. They had planned to go out for Peggy’s lunch break but as is the way with running a highly classified spy agency, Peggy just didn’t have time to leave her office. So Angie, the angel that she was, had brought lunch to her. Peggy laughed and pulled her girlfriend into a kiss. Angie smiled against her lips and Peggy felt her heart race. 

“Such a charmer.” Peggy said softly as she tucked a lock of brunette hair behind Angie’s ear. Her girlfriend’s hair never did stay in place. 

“Only for you sweetheart” Angie laughed a placed another kiss on Peggy’s cheek. 

Peggy leaned into the kiss and sighed happily. It had been almost 40 years since they had first fallen in love and Peggy was certain that she would happily live another 40 years with this amazing woman by her side. To the outside world, Angie had married one of her co-stars, a gay man who needed the cover. Peggy had played her part as Angie’s head bridesmaid and stamped down all the feelings of jealously when they Angie had kissed her husband. The two actors still lived together but Peggy stayed over as often as she could. The world viewed Peggy as a career driven woman who had never had time to get married and settle down. Some people theorised that she had never gotten over Steve’s death and that no man would ever live up to him. She happily supported that theory as it reduced any speculation regarding Steve and Bucky’s relationship. Even though they were dead, Peggy was determined to keep their secret close to her heart. 

“Hello Agent Carter.” A man’s voice made both women jump apart. Angie squeaked in surprise and they both glared at the intruder. Peggy had explicitly made it known that no one was ever to set foot inside her office without an invitation. 

To her surprise, Peggy recognised the man in the doorway. His golden eyes were something she had never quite managed to forget. They had been so unique and contrasted the dark chocolate colour of his skin beautifully. His hair was longer now. Back in the war it had been kept short like the rest of the soldiers of the 107th but now it fell long past his shoulders. Peggy had never seen anything quite like it on a man. His clothing now was as unique as his eyes, gone was the crisp uniform from the war. He now wore a long dusty robe which had vibrant golden threads woven through the fabric. It was a wonder that he had managed to make it up to Peggy’s office without being detained by Agents in the corridors. She would have to talk to her head of security about that at the earliest available opportunity. 

“You.” Peggy hissed. 

“Me.” He replied calmly 

“You were there in the war. You helped to save Steve and Bucky.” Peggy furrowed her brow. Who was this man? Why was he here?

“I was.”  He smiled. Peggy inhaled deeply. This man was incredibly frustrating. Her red nails dug into her palms and she took a step towards the intruder. It was bad enough that he had just let himself into her office, but he’d witnessed Angie kissing her which could be incredibly damaging to her girlfriend’s career. 

“Why are you here hot stuff?” Angie drawled casually from where she was perched on the desk. She smirked at the man whilst she inspected her nail polish. She wasn’t fazed in the slightest and Peggy felt a swell of pride for her girlfriend. 

“Ms Martinelli. It’s an honour to meet you.” The man nodded respectfully. “But I need to talk to Agent Carter.”

“That’s Director Carter to you sweetheart.” Angie raised her eyebrows at the intruder. 

“Angie. Go, It’s fine.” Peggy squeezed her girlfriend’s hand and nodded. Angie held her gaze for a few seconds before kissing her cheek and jumping gracefully off the table. 

“I’ll see you for dinner, English. Don’t be late.” Angie winked as she danced out of the room. Peggy let her eyes follow the actresses’ figure as the walked away before turning to face the man that had so rudely interrupted her lunch. 

“My apologies, Director Carter.” The man said sincerely. Peggy waved his apology away. She had no use for it. 

“I won’t lie to you. I have no idea why you are here and you have approximately 30 seconds to tell me exactly what’s going on otherwise I will have you removed.” She stated cooly. She wanted him gone, she would get her best agents to ensure that he would not speak of what he had seen in her office or he would suffer. Her girlfriend’s career was too important for one man’s insubordination to ruin. 

“My name is Heimdall.” He stated. The name wasn’t familiar, she thought she would have at least recognised it from the war. There had been a lot of men but that name was never one she had heard.

“So you lied on your enlistment form.” She raised her eyebrow. Heimdall was a mystery that appeared to be getting more threatening by the moment. She thought of shield’s enemies, what faction would he most likely be part of. Perhaps an offshoot of Hydra if he had been spying on them since the war but his dark skin didn’t exactly go hand in hand with Hydra and the Nazi’s ideals. 

“I never enlisted.” He agreed. God this was like getting blood from a stone. She’d had interrogation suspects that were more cooperative. 

“But you were there.” She pushed for answers as she brushed her fingers along the edge of her desk, searching for the secret compartment. She found the button she was looking for with a barely audible click. A small drawer dropped down, out of the sight of her companion, to reveal a small canister of sleeping gas. She grasped the small cylinder in her hands and moved to take Angie’s place on the corner of her desk. She crossed her legs casually. The knife hidden under her skirt was within her reach and she could easily use her sharp stilettos as a weapon if need be. 

“I was but I never enlisted. I wasn’t there for the war.” Heimdall eyed her cautiously but was still refusing to reveal any information.

“Then what?” She asked as she flicked the safety off the canister, ready to deploy at the drop of a hat. 

“I was there to help your friends.” Heimdall admitted with a sad smile.

“Captain Rogers?” Peggy asked stiffly. It still hurt to think of her friends. When Steve had turned off the radio she had broken down on the floor. Morita had wrapped his arms around her whilst she sobbed in heart wrenching grief. They has searched for almost 5 years for wreckage of the plane but eventually she had to admit defeat. It wasn’t healthy to keep holding on. She only wished they could have buried them probably. An icy grave was not what they deserved.

“And Sergeant Barnes, yes.” Heimdall nodded.

Peggy was suddenly hit with an epiphany. This man had not only helped to save her friends from the bottom of the Alps but he had been there throughout the war making sure they survived long enough to save the world from Schmidt and Hydra’s villainous ways.  “You saved the 107th from the factory. That was you wasn’t it?” 

“Yes.”

“And the Hydra agent we found after Project Rebirth?” She continued. How did no one notice this strange man nearby almost every significant moment in Captain America’s story. 

“Yes.

“And Arnim Zola’s assassination.” She sighed. It wasn’t even a question anymore. Zola had been assassinated by some unknown assailant, and a file thick with information regarding Zola, and Schmidt’s plans had been dumped on Colonel Phillips’ desk the next morning. They had never found the murderer, not that they had tried very hard. The information provided to them had proved essential in ending the war even if it had been at the cost of her two dearest friends. 

“Yes.” 

“Then why the bloody hell are Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes dead at the bottom of the ocean?” Peggy hissed dangerously. She was so tempted to release the gas and finish this conversation but logically she knew there was more information that this man could give her. 

“It was the only way. I’m sorry Director.” Heimdall bowed his head respectfully. 

“It’s been over 30 years since we last met. Why now?” Peggy raised her eyebrow at the man. 

“I need your help.” He admitted in a soft voice. Peggy felt her shoulders relax and she loosen her grip on the weapon in her hand. It might be foolish of her but her gut was telling her that this man meant no harm to her or to Angie. He hadn’t even mentioned what he had witnessed. She kept the safety clip off the canister just in case though. She wasn’t that reckless. 

“Go on.” She hummed curiously. She wondered what could possibly be important enough that a stranger had come to her for help after over 30 years. Maybe Hydra had returned, it was plausible enough if the man had disappeared after Hydra had been destroyed then it would make sense that Hydra would be the reason he returned. 

“Tony needs your help.” Heimdall amended calmly. 

Peggy stared as she tried to process his words. That had not been the answer she had expected. Tony? “Howard’s son?” Peggy asked dumbly before her brain managed to catch up. She shook her head sadly. She was the wrong person to ask for help. “I’m sorry but I barely talk to Howard these days. We’ve had one too many disagreements over the years. We don’t exactly see eye to eye.” It was the understatement of the century. 

“Please. Talk to Tony.” Heimdall insisted. He sounded almost desperate and Peggy wondered what was so important about Howard’s son. He was only 8 years old, if Peggy remembered correctly.  Heimdall’s anguish stunned her, she was taken aback by the sheer desperation in his voice. 

“I’ll try.” She conceded. If only because Tony was so young still and if this man said he needed help, it would be disgusting of her not to try. Heimdall smiled at her sadly and left the room, his robes billowing dramatically behind him as he brushed through the doorway. Peggy sighed as she watched him leave. 

Talk to Tony. She could do that. It was hardly as terrifying as taking on Hydra in the own headquarters. 

Right?

* * *

Tony was staring at the ceiling. The solar system was projected in vivid detail above his head. It was supposed to help him sleep but he never could turn his brain off. There were too many ideas, too many inventions. He was gonna save the world one day, just like Captain America did, but he couldn’t do it if he was wasting time by sleeping. His mother had insisted that he had to go to bed though. That had been roughly two hours ago and he was still sat here, staring at the stars above his head. He tried counting the stars like Jarvis suggested but it didn’t help. Every time he started to feel tired his brain would shock him awake and remind him that he hadn’t managed to count them all yet so he wasn’t allowed to sleep. He sighed and rolled out of bed. This wasn’t working and he was bored. He had some ideas about how to modify the solar system projector so that the light would react to his touch and he could interact with the map. It would be a great project to show his tutor group at school. They might actually talk to him if they could finally understand how cool science could be. He wouldn’t just be the rich kid or the nerd anymore. 

He tiptoed down the corridor towards the study. His mum had confiscated his toolkit so he would go to sleep and Tony was pretty sure she had locked it in his dad’s safe. Luckily for him, he knew the combination. To his surprise the light was still shining from under the crack in the door. He knew his mum had already gone to bed, he’d heard her say goodnight to Jarvis, so that meant his father was still working. It was late even for him. He gently pushed the door open and poked his head around the wood. His dad was glaring at some paper in his hand and running his fingers through his hair. He hadn’t even noticed the small boy enter the room. Tony grinned, maybe his dad would help him get to sleep, after all he wasn’t going to get into the safe with his dad sitting at the desk like that

“Dad!” He ran up to desk happily.

His dad scowled as he looked up over the top of his glasses. “What is it Tony?” He sighed wearily.

“Read me a story?” Tony asked with a pout. His mum read him bedtime stories all the time but never his dad. He always wondered what it would be like to have his father act out the stories with funny voices like his mum did. 

His dad just shook his head and ruffled Tony’s hair. Tony whined and ducked away. Why did his dad always insist on messing with his hair? “I don’t have time Tony. I have to finish my work.” His dad gave him a gentle push towards the door. Tony stumbled slightly as he tried to resist. He didn’t want to go back to bed. He was bored!

“But Dad!” He whined but he already knew it would be no use. 

“I’ll read you a story tomorrow.” His father said coldly and shut the door behind him. 

Tony turned to face the door that now separated father and son. He glared at the offending obstacle with as much anger as an 8 year old boy could muster. “You said that yesterday.” He grumbled bitterly before stalking off towards his bedroom. 

* * *

Howard Stark was not a good father. Anyone who met him or his son would be able to tell you that. However, Howard Stark was also a genius, co-founder of Shield and CEO of Stark Industries. He was a very busy man and he believed that justified not spending much time with his family. His work had made the family very rich indeed, they should be grateful that he sacrificed so much of his time in order to provide for them. At the end of the day, Howard Stark had no regrets in his life so far. He was happy that his son seemed to be taking to science and engineering just like he had at Tony’s age. That meant his son would be in a perfect position to take over Stark Industries when he was of age and Howard could retire happily in Miami with his wife. 

He looked over the file on his desk. The latest weapon shipment to MI6 had gone missing mysteriously. Monty had sent him a coded letter that morning to enquire about the missing stock. Howard let out a frustrated groan. His old friend had been counting on him to get the weapons out to England on time. Old Monty’s team had received intelligence that there would be siege on their headquarters in London and they sorely needed an upgrade. Naturally, his friend had suggested Stark Industries. It helped boost his connection with the allies and made him a tidy profit, whilst also helping a friend in need. It had been a win-win situation and yet he had still managed to lose. He banged his forehead on the desk and sighed. He needed a drink, and perhaps a cigar but before he could reach for a glass behind him, there was a knock at the door. 

“Howard, Can I come in?” A voice called. Howard scowled, he knew that voice. It was Margaret fucking Carter, Director of Shield and one of his oldest friends. Well, former-friends was probably a more accurate assessment. Peggy didn’t wait for an answer before pushing the door open.  

“Ahh. Director Carter. To what do I owe the pleasure?” Howard sighed and grabbed his cigar box. This conversation would not go well without something to ease his nerves. 

“Can’t I come and say hello to an old friend?” Peggy raised a perfectly sculptured eyebrow.

She was as beautiful and stunning as ever. If she hadn’t been so hung up on Rogers, Howard would probably have asked Peggy to marry him. Not that he didn’t love Maria, of course he did but Peggy. Man, Peggy was something else entirely. The one girl who had never fallen to his charms. Howard had always wondered what she had seen in the good Captain that made him so irresistible to her. He would blame the serum, because even Howard could admit that Captain America was sex on legs, but rumour had it that a young Agent Carter had been smitten with little Stevie Rogers before he had ever been chosen for Project Rebirth.  

“It’s been a long time since you last did.” He replied bitterly. 

“We used to be friends Howard. What happened?” Peggy asked sadly. Howard lit cigar and tucked the file he had been reading back in his desk. 

“The tesseract.” He blew a cloud of smoke in her direction. Peggy rolled her eyes and waved the smoke away from her face. She looked disappointed in him, so nothing had changed there then.

“Ah yes. You wanted to build weapons.” She had her hands on her hips in true Peggy Carter fashion. Howard couldn’t help but let his gaze roam her figure, she looked damn good for her age. Apparently this was one girl he could never seem to move on from. 

“And you wouldn’t let me. We could have prevented so many wars Pegs.” Howard sighed. 

The argument over the tesseract had almost torn Shield apart it had been so explosive. Shield agents had rushed to Peggy’s office to see what all the noise had been about, worried that some enemy was trying to attack their precious Director. Howard still remembered the shock on their faces when they had found Howard and Peggy at each others throats. After that they only saw each other in meetings when absolutely necessary. Howard never asked about the tesseract again after that day. He’d spent more of his time and resources on Stark Industries over Shield. He even pulled out funding one of Angie Martinelli’s earliest projects because he’d known the two women were friends. Peggy had been absolutely livid about that one but it hadn’t mattered in the long run. Ms Martinelli had gotten her big break a year later with some film noir shit that the critics went mental for. She hadn’t been out of work since. 

“Weapons don’t prevent wars Howard. They start them.” Peggy hissed as she leered at him. It was an old argument, they both knew the other would never back down but Howard couldn’t resist rises to the bait. 

“They end them too.” He countered as he had back in the day.

“But at what cost?” Peggy shot back with a haunted look in her eyes. It was the same look she got whenever she remembered good old Captain America, may his soul rest in peace.

Howard decided he was bored of the conversation. Peggy Carter had no right in coming into his office like this and attacking him for no god damn reason. “Look, Carter, I’m a busy man…” Howard tried to say politely but he couldn’t help the bitterness in his voice.

“Too busy to make time for your own family?” Peggy quipped.

“What?” Howard stammered at the apparent non-sequitur.

“I spoke to Edwin.” Peggy stated cooly as tapped her blood red finger nails against her hip. 

“Ah.” Howard turned away from the terrifyingly beautiful woman in front of him. The cigar wasn’t enough. He needed something stronger. He had a bottle of whiskey tucked away in his safe for this very reason “I forgot you two were close.” He would have to have words with Edwin when he got back home. He didn’t care who the man was friends with but his salary came from Howard’s pocket and he expected a certain  level of loyalty in return.

“He said you never spend any time with your son.” Peggy continued. Even with his back turned to her Howard could hear the disappointment dripping from her voice. It was almost enough to make him feel bad about his actions. Peggy always did have a knack for that.

“He’ll understand someday when he’s old enough to work.” Howard poured himself a large amount of whiskey and knocked it back almost immediately, relishing in the burn at the back of his throat.

Peggy, give her her due, didn’t bat an eyelid at the speed at which he knocked back the whiskey. Although he was almost positive that drinking on Shield property was against all sorts of codes and regulations. “He’s your son Howard.” She insisted.

“And I’m working hard so he can have everything.” Howard threw his arms up in frustration. Why did no one seem to understand the whole reason he worked so hard was so that his family could live in comfort? He’d seen what poverty could drive people to do. He was certain that if Rogers and Barnes hadn’t been living in such dire circumstances, barely able to afford the medicine he needed to survive, then Steve would never have signed up for the programme. Project Rebirth had come with a very hefty pay check, just incase everything had gone wrong. 

“He doesn’t want everything.” Peggy raised her voice for the first time since she had entered his office. She took a step forward towards him and poked him hard in his chest. “He wants his father.”

“You do not get to talk to me about parenting Peggy.” Howard hissed menacingly. “You have no idea what it’s like.”

“Howard.” Peggy sighed.

“No Peggy.” He yelled back at her. “Either get married and have kids or stay out of it. It doesn’t concern you.”

Peggy didn’t have a response to that. Silence fell between them. It was the kind of silence that is almost so loud that it deafens you. Neither of them moved, neither of them broke eye contact. Howard was furious at the brunette. She had no right. Peggy eventually spun around on her heels and walked from the room. The door slammed behind her and Howard all but collapsed back into his chair. 

* * *

Tony threw the small red car across the room. After flying the toy for just over half an hour around his bedroom floor the power pack had overheated, sparks had flown and it had crashed into the wall. Tony had let out a scream of frustration. He’d been so close but had still failed. It was no wonder that his dad wasn’t proud of him. His dad had probably taken one look at the toy and known that it was going to fail. His dad was smart, he’d known long before Tony that he was doomed to fail. Tony jumped onto his bed and screamed into his pillow. He’d had enough. He was going to quit inventing things. Maybe he could be a superhero like Captain America. Captain Rogers had been one of dad’s best friends so Tony just knew his dad would be proud of him if he could be a superhero. 

There was a quiet knock on his door followed by an unknown female voice. “Tony?” They asked. It definitely wasn’t his mother. This person had an English accent, perhaps she was a friend of Jarvis. 

“Who are you?”  Tony mumbled into his pillow. He heard the familiar clack of heels as the female came into the room. The mattress sunk down next to him as she sat down. Tony groaned and rolled over. He looked up to see a pair of big brown eyes looking down at him. He knew that face, Director Carter, Captain America’s great love story from the war. Tony stared wide-eyed, what on Earth was she doing in his room? Tony’s cheeks felt like they were on fire and he pulled the blankets over his face.

“I’m an old friend of your father’s” Peggy laughed as he hid under the covers.

“I didn’t know Dad had any friends.” Tony mumbled. He was going to feign ignorance. Peggy Carter did not need to know what Tony was a huge fan of the Captain America comics. He was always telling his classmates that his dad helped create Captain America’s shield. It was, in Tony’s opinion, his dad’s greatest creation. 

“He used to have a lot, during the war.” Peggy agreed pensively. Tony peaked out over the top of his blanket. Peggy was smiling down at him like an angel. 

“Like Captain America?” Tony narrowed his eyes. It was a logical question and gave nothing away. He was just lucky that he kept his comic books under his bed, just in case his dad ever found them. 

“Yes. Exactly.” Peggy’s eyes were almost sparkling. Tony wondered whether she was remembering the war. Most people remembered it as devastating and destructive but Peggy seemed to have fond memories of her time in the war. Tony guessed that it was probably to do with the fact the love of her life and never made it out the other side.

“Dad talks about Captain America a lot.” Tony admitted. It was probably the only thing he dad liked to talk about outside of his work. “I think he would prefer it if he were here instead of me.” He added in a small voice. He didn’t like to sound so vulnerable but there was something about Peggy Carter that he trusted. She had the same kindness in her eyes as his mum. 

“Oh Tony, that’s not true.” Peggy reached out and brushed his fringe back out of his eyes. It was a gesture his mother would often do. He moved back away from her touch. He didn’t deserve such kindness from the legend of a woman. 

“Isn’t it?” Tony muttered. Peggy was supposed to be smarter than that, he knew he was right in his heart. Peggy clearly didn’t know his father as well as she thought.

“Your father is a complex man Tony.” She admitted. “But he loves you.”

“Sure sure.” Tony rolled his eyes. This was a conversation he had had many times with his mum, with Jarvis and Anna, even the teachers at school. They were wrong. All of them were wrong.

“Did you know that Howard asked me to be your Godmother, Tony?” Peggy changed the subject suddenly. Tony sat up quickly in his bed and stared at the woman. Peggy Carter was his Godmother? Get out. Why hadn’t she been round before now? Why was she suddenly taking an interest in him now? Peggy seemed to be able to read his thoughts as she laughed. “I had a falling out with your father just after you were born. I’m sorry to say that I was too proud to make amends with you because of it.” 

“Fucking hell…” Tony whispered under his breath. It earned a swat over the head from Peggy and he grinned sheepishly. 

“Anthony Edward Stark. Where did you learn language like that?” Peggy laughed despite her scolding tone. 

“Dad says it all the time.” Tony grinned. 

“Oh Howard.” Peggy shook her head in despair. “Would you like to hear some stories of my adventures with Howard and Edwin?” Peggy asked with a twinkle in her eyes.

“Edwin… As in snooty butler Jarvis?” Tony scowled. Jarvis wouldn’t know an adventure if it hit him in the face. 

“The one and the same.” Peggy giggled. 

“You’re lying.” Tony accused. No way did Jarvis ever go out on adventures with Peggy and his father of all people. 

“Not at all. Here let me tell you about the time your father got hypnotised and almost dropped a bomb in the middle of times square.”  Peggy gave him a wild grin.

“No way!” Tony cried gleefully as he became fully absorbed in Peggy’s story. 

 She talked for over an hour, telling him all about Russian spies and and missions with the Howling Commandos to go after Soviet Weapons. She told him all about how Jarvis, the quiet man who had a liking for tea and scones, helped her infiltrate a place call Leviathan which was apparently a base for the Russian spies. He was completely enraptured in her stories, most of which he was convinced she was just making up but it didn’t matter. This was better than any comic book or stupid hover car invention. He fell asleep to the sound of his new Godmother’s voice weaving tales of heroes and villains. He dreamt that one day he would stand up among the heroes, just like Captain America, and he would save the world. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tada! I hope you enjoyed it. All mistakes are mine and obviously the characters and any recognisable plot points belong to MCU and the comics. Comments/Kudos are appreciated and you can find me on tumblr @avengersbarnes. 
> 
> Til next time!


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there's a bit of a time skip in this one. It starts when Tony's 17 so almost 10 years after the first chapter and by the end Tony is 21. 
> 
> Warnings in the end notes! (Also Spoilers for the chapter so don't read the warnings if you don't need to. It's not tooooo bad and nothing that doesn't happen in canon)

College was finally done. Sure he would probably go back a few times and get some PhDs under his belt but Tony Stark officially had a degree in mechanical engineering. Of course he could have gotten the degree in his sleep and as it was he was the youngest in his class by 2 years. His roommate was a saviour to the whole experience. Tony was pretty damn sure he would have dropped out already if it hadn’t of been for Rhodey, much to the disappointment of his godmother. The older boy had dragged Tony to early morning lectures with a large coffee in hand and even helped the him sneak into parties so he could get the whole college experience. The pair of them were inseparable which drove their professors crazy. Especially when Tony pointed out all the flaws in the teacher’s work and Rhodey sat beside him barely containing his laughter.

“Tony!” The man in question yelled from the corridor. “If you’re not packed then I’m taking all your shit.”

“Rhodey, Rhodes, Rhode-ster, Jamie boy. That is hardly an incentive. You know how much I love to waste my dear old dad’s money.” Tony grinned as he pulled up his welding mask and gave a little wave to his friend. 

His friend groaned in exasperation as he walked into the room. Tony was sat cross-legged on the bed trying to reattached some metal plates over the control panel on his new AI robot. The little robot kept making booping noises and was determined to pick up everything in the room. Tony had thought the robot might be able to help him pack to go home but the idiot robot had gotten a little enthusiastic and was trying to pull the carpet up. So Tony had gotten distracted trying to fix his new friend, after all Jarvis would probably appreciate some help around the house if he could just get this right. 

“Tony” Rhodey sighed as he rolled his eyes and started to gather up Tony’s belongings. “Aunt Peggy is going to be mad if you’re late again.”

“I won’t be late.” Tony smiled mischievously “None of this is mine anymore remember?”

“No.” Rhodey groaned.

“Looks like you’ve still got a lot to pack buddy. You really should have started sooner. When’s your mum getting here?” Tony gave his friend a wink and jumped off the bed. 

“Umm… five minutes ago?” Rhodey said as he glanced at his watch. “Tony don’t you dare leave.”

“See you for Thanksgiving!” Tony laughed and wheeled his dumb AI robot from the room.

“Stark! Get your ass back here.” Rhodey yelled behind him and Tony cackled as he ran out to meet his godmother by her car. 

Peggy was leaning against her car. The car had been a gift for her 60th birthday from Tony. It was a beautiful dark red convertible hover car and one of the first major projects Tony had managed to complete. Peggy had found his smaller remote control version and had been so impressed and proud of his work that Tony had never given up on the idea of producing a fully functional life sized version. Of course, Peggy was rarely allowed to use the hover capabilities but when they had the chance she would take Tony out of town for a picnic and they both enjoyed flying around above the road.

“Anthony Edward Stark. Where are you bags?” Peggy raised an eyebrow and smirked. 

“Donated to the less fortunate out of the goodness of my heart.” Tony grinned and loaded his robot onto the back seat.

“Howard won’t be pleased.” Peggy rolled her eyes but Tony could see the twinkle in her eyes behind her feigned disapproval. 

“Not exactly the first time. Come on I’m starving!” Tony whined as his stomach rumbled. 

“Cheeseburgers?” Peggy laughed. It had become a tradition for them to grab cheeseburgers on the way back from College. His dad had tried to insist that Tony took the private jet back home but Tony had refused. He was already different enough from his classmates so Peggy and Jarvis decided to take turns at picking him up. Sometimes Peggy brought her friend Angie along and sometimes all three adults were waiting for him in the car but the one constant was the cheeseburgers. 

“You read my mind.” Tony rested his feet up on the dash, earning a fiercely disapproving look from his godmother. Even with her wrinkled skin and greying hair, Peggy Carter was a force to be reckoned with. Still Tony had made the car so he was allowed to put his feet wherever he liked. 

“So what is James up to now you’ve both graduated?” Peggy asked as she pulled away from the Campus. 

“Army I think. Maybe the Air Force.” Tony mumbled. He’d gotten into a few arguments with his friend about that. Rhodey had studied Military and Political Science so it wasn’t a surprise that he wanted to join the Air Force but Tony was selfish. He didn’t want his best friend to disappear for months at a time. What if he never came back? Tony didn’t have a lot of friends. He couldn’t afford to lose Rhodey. 

“That’s a good choice for him Tony.” Peggy chided. “The Army is where I met some of my best friends.” 

“He’s already got a best friend.” Tony glared at the road in front of them and Peggy sighed. 

“Oh Tony. For someone so smart, you can be so dumb” Peggy glanced over at him with a sad smile. “Can I ask you something Tony?”

“Will it matter if I say no?” Tony shot back with a smirk.

“Not really. You don’t have to answer though.” Peggy said cautiously.

“Now you got me worried Pegs.” Tony pulled his feet off the dash and sat up. It was unusual for his godmother to act so serious on their car journey’s home.

“Nonsense. I was just curious as to your relationship with James.” Peggy asked with a laugh. Tony stared at her. Was she mad? You didn’t just talk about that sort of thing. There were men and women dying in the streets because of their sexuality and here was his crazy Aunt Peggy asking so bluntly if he was gay?

“What?” He spluttered. 

“You don’t have to answer.” She reminded him. 

“We’re friends. Just friends.” Tony blushed. Even to his own ears it sounded defensive and he wasn’t even lying. They were best friends. Tony and Rhodey went out on double dates with girls all the time. Tony had found he had a knack for seducing his professor’s daughters. It was the only way he could find someone around his age. Occasionally his money and fame meant the 19 year olds would overlook his younger age but most of the time it just wasn’t worth the fuss. “I’m not like that.” He added just to be sure. It wasn’t entirely true, he’d had his fair share of sex dreams about his best friend but it wasn’t like he’d ever acted on those thoughts. 

“And what do you think of people who are?” Peggy asked, her voice unnaturally cold. Tony got the feeling she was testing him. 

“Umm… I guess I haven’t really thought about it.” He lied. Of course he’d thought about it when it was all over the news. Every day more people were dying. The hospitals were almost overrun. “They don’t deserve to die. One of the boys in my class got it, the disease. It was like he wasted away to nothing. Just for loving another man. It’s not fair.” 

“No. It’s not. Too many good people are dying. We’re working on a cure. Did you know that?” Peggy asked sadly. Tony shook his head and muttered that he didn’t know. “One of my good friends from the war died last week.” Peggy offered as an explanation.

“I didn’t know they had gays in the war.” Tony said. Although it was probably a stupid thing to say. There had always been gay people. They were just better at hiding before, probably because they had too. Peggy laughed. 

“Oh Tony. History is lot gayer than you might think.” Peggy chimed as they pulled into their usual diner. “They just don’t teach about it in schools.”

Tony laughed. “Next thing I know, you’ll be telling me that Captain America was gay. The government would just love that.” Tony grinned. 

The government just loved to use Captain America as a tool for their bullshit propaganda. Tony remembered the protestors at the march last year with their Captain America signs saying that Steve Rogers wouldn’t condone the queers. Peggy had been furious. She had marched around the mansion with Angie close behind her, reminding them all that Steve had always fought for equality from the very beginning with their integrated unit. She had very adamantly insisted that Steve Rogers had grown up in the queer neighbourhood in Brooklyn and was almost certainly very aware of what went on. There apparently no way her old flame would be content that his image was being used for hate. He chuckled at the memory as they walked into the diner together. Peggy, however, was uncharacteristically quiet and Tony almost heard the penny drop on the pavement.

“No way.” He felt his eyes go wide.

“Shush Tony. Not here.” Peggy hissed. She had gone bright red and stormed ahead of him. The sharp click of her heels against the pavement reminded him vividly of the time she had stormed into his father’s office after the man had forgotten Tony’s 10th birthday. 

“But you were dating?” Tony asked in shock. “You always talk about your great love story.”

“A cover story.” Peggy whispered under her breath. “Mutually beneficial arrangement.” She added as she glanced at him to gauge his reaction. 

“A mutually beneficial? No…” Tony muttered as he tried to absorb what she was telling him “You too?”

Peggy hummed in agreement and stepped up to the counter to order.

“What can I get for you today?” The man asked them. Tony didn’t even have to look at the menu. Cheeseburger and fries with a large soda. Peggy, on the other hand, had frozen next to him. She looked as if she had seen a ghost. 

“Since when do you work here?” She asked the server, Tom according to his name badge, sharply. 

“I wanted a change of scenery Ms Carter.” The man smiled calmly. There was something strange about his eyes. Tony couldn’t remember ever seeing a man with golden eyes before. It looked like something from a Star Wars movie. 

“Tony go and sit down. I’ll get your food.”

“But Aunt Peggy!” Tony started to protest. It was his turn to buy the burgers. 

“Now Tony.” She didn’t take her eyes off the man. Tony looked between the two. He certainly didn’t look like a threat but he trusted his godmother emphatically.

“Fine. I want extra cheese.” He added for good measure and shuffled over to a booth where he could keep watch over the two adults.

* * *

“If I order food will you actually get it ready?” Peggy asked Heimdall once Tony was out of earshot. 

“Of course.” The other man laughed. “It’s only my first day though so be kind.” 

Peggy had been stunned to see the man. It had been almost a decade since he’d last appeared in her office to warn her about Howard and his son. Thanks to him Peggy had managed to reconnect with her godson. She was even on almost good terms with Howard again. They still fought like cats and dogs over the smallest of things, normally Howard’s complete lack of commitment to being a father, but she had her friend back. She was even invited round for Thanksgiving most years. Christmas was always spent with Angie so Howard had stopped inviting her. 

“What are you doing here?” Peggy asked. “Is something wrong?” In her experience the man only showed up when things were about to go wrong or to help rescue things when they already had. 

“Just checking in. It’s difficult to predict things when so much has changed.” Heimdall said wearily. “It makes my job harder even with Time on my side.” 

“Time really is on your side. You’ve not aged a day since we’ve met.” Peggy laughed quietly. If only time had been so kind to her and her friends. 

“I have good genetics.” Heimdall joined in with her laughter. “Tony is happier than before.” Heimdall nodded to where Tony was watching them as he processed their food order. “You’re his family.”

“I am. I guess I have you to thank for that.” Peggy smiled gratefully, without any kids of her own, Tony had been a blessing. It had brightened her life in a way she had never anticipated. 

“His father is still absent though.” Heimdall frowned. “Can you help?”

“You think I haven’t tried. Howard is stubborn as a mule and Maria is too weak to stand up to him. She’s foolishly in love with the mad man.” Peggy sighed. 

She really had tried everything to encourage Howard to take more of an interest in his son but greed had tainted his heart and his love now struggled to bloom. Maria was better. She spent Sunday afternoons during the holidays with Tony, teaching him how to play piano. The brunet had taken to music like a duck to water. The dexterity in his fingers from his engineering was easily adapted to the keyboard and his brain and heart absorbed the musicality like a sponge. If he wasn’t so passionate about science, he could have easily become a concert pianist or song writer. Peggy had a feeling he was destined to go far with science though. 

“Hmm. Perhaps not all is lost. Watch out for a man called Stane. He’ll be nothing but trouble for our young hero” Heimdall said thoughtfully as he passed Peggy a tray loaded with food. She nodded as she paid for the meal and made her way over to Tony, she glanced over her shoulder but predictably Heimdall had already disappeared. 

She thought about what Heimdall had said whilst they ate. Heimdall had called Tony a young hero. Something the world hadn’t officially had since Steve crashed into the ice. Of course, being the former Director of Shield, Peggy was aware of a few men and women who had tried their hand at being a caped crusader, Hank Pym for one, his wife for another. Nothing had ever had the same impact as Captain America though. Tony was also surprisingly quiet for the first time that day. She hoped she had made the right decision to confide in him. The world was changing and she wanted him to realise that he could be exactly who he wanted to be and she would always have his back.

Now if only she could convince her friend to have the same pride in Tony as she did. Peggy started to formulate a plan in her mind. A way to force father and son together for just the right amount of time that they might finally start to bond. So that Tony could finally have his father’s attention just like he always craved. The only problem was how. How to make Howard realise that Tony was, at the very least, his equal in intellect? Tony would have no problem solving half of Howard’s problems and now Howard had semi-retired, Tony would be the perfect candidate to take over Stark Industries. Howard had never even taken the time to ask if Tony would be interested or taught him the skills he would need to run the business. 

“Peggy?” Tony broke the silence as he wiped ketchup from the stubble around his chin. Peggy blinked a couple of times and smiled at her young godson. She nodded for him to continue. “Thanks. You know, for trusting me.” He was blushing and staring down at the table. She reached across and squeezed his hand. 

“Of course I trust you Tony. You understand this must be kept a secret don’t you?” His dark chocolate brown eyes looked up to meet hers and he nodded. 

“Yeah. Did Dad know?” He asked quietly.

“No. Steve was never quite sure how Howard would take it.” Peggy admitted and Tony nodded as if he’d expected that answer. “The Howling Commandos all knew.”

“They did?” Tony gaped. “But they were like… you know.” Tony flailed his arms around as he struggled to find the words. 

“The least gay men you can think of? The poster boys for Anti-gay propaganda?” Peggy guessed.

“Yeah.” Tony chuckled. 

“They were also the first integrated unit in the US army that had absolutely no problem with me giving them orders. Those boys were progressive before their time.” Peggy sighed, lost in the memory of her late friend. “If Steve were here now I promise you he’d be the one leading those marches and Barnes would be right behind him.” 

Tony huffed a laugh. “Not according to Dad. He’s always telling me how Steve Rogers was a real man’s man, the best man could be all thanks to science. How Captain America was his greatest success and that Steve was nothing before he was built in a lab.”

“Howard is out of his mind if he believes that!” Peggy leapt to the defence of her friend. “Steve was many things Tony, and I’m sure you’ve heard it more than most, but if there is anything you should remember about Steve Rogers it’s his heart.”

“How’d you mean?” He tilted his head curiously “Dad said even that was broken before the experiment.”

“Steve was” Peggy’s throat started to throb as tears prickled in her eyes. Even after all this time it hurt to talk about him. “Steve had the kindest heart. It didn’t beat properly that’s true but even before he was Captain America, Steve was the one standing up for the little guy.”

“But he was the little guy.”

Peggy laughed and winked at her Godson. “Precisely. Now come on Maria will be worried if I don’t get you home soon.”

* * *

Tony wasn’t exactly sure what Aunt Peggy had said to his father, but since graduated from college his dad had suddenly decided that Tony was somebody worth spending time with. He suspected that it had something to do with the stranger in the diner. His godmother had seemed very out of sorts on the last leg of their journey. As anticipated his mother had been all in a flutter by they pulled up to the mansion and she pulled Tony into a tight embrace as they walked up the drive. His father had been noticeably absent. However, Peggy had marched straight up to his office after giving a Tony a cheery goodbye and the following day Howard had invited Tony to join him in his office for the first time in his life. 

Tony had stood awkwardly outside his dad’s office, shuffling nervously from one foot to another, feeling like he was waiting for detention. He had desperately wished that Rhodey had been with him. They were inseparable during the term time and he always missed him like hell during the holidays. Rhodey was the one he turned to when he needed to vent about his home life, about his isolation in class, about how he desperately wanted to be seen as Tony Stark and not just Howard’s son but at home Rhodey wasn’t there. He could telephone him but it wasn’t the same as being sprawled out in their dorm with a bottle of vodka to share between them. 

So Tony was left to face his dad and his home life alone. It wasn’t as bad as he thought though. His dad had decided to show Tony the ropes of the business. Tony almost mentioned he’d already hacked Stark Industries several times already and knew exactly how the company was run, but he was so shocked that Howard actually wanted to spend more than five minutes in his company that he played dumb. He let his father spend hours going through the structure of the business, the different departments and their roles, the connections between other companies, how it linked in with his work with Shield. Tony asked questions in the right places and by the time Jarvis called them down to dinner they were laughing and making jokes about engineering together. It was… nice. His dad patted him awkwardly on the back and Tony smiled widely as they left the room. 

And so it went on.

Tony pretended to be clueless so his dad could teach him about Stark Industries and slowly a relationship began to build between them. It could never make up for the years of neglect and resentment but it was a start of what Tony hoped would be a long and loving bond between them. He had even hoped that maybe one day he wouldn’t even have to hide his intellect from his dad for the man to accept him.  

But it was not meant to be. 

In the end they had less than 5 years. 

Tony was half way through his second PhD when he heard the news from a couple of students passing by in the library. He sat there in shock staring at the tattered book in his hands praying that it was some elaborate prank. It couldn’t possibly be true. His parents weren’t dead. They couldn’t be. Less than 5 minutes later a professor pulled him from the library into their office. Peggy was waiting for him, her hair completely snowy white these days, tears in her eyes and a haunted expression on her face. He knew instantly that the news was true. He almost knocked the older woman to the floor as he rushed to hug his Godmother. 

A car crash.

A freak accident that took the lives of both his parents. One day he was on the phone with his father planning a trip to Canada to go fishing and the next minute he was an orphan. 

It wasn’t fair. It just wasn’t fair. No 21 year old should have to lose both their parents so suddenly. He wasn’t ready. He’d only just rekindled his relationship with his dad and his mother was the one person who had always been there for him ever since he was child. The one person who had never cared that he was Howard Stark’s son, because he had only ever been _her_ son. He cried more than he thought was possible. If you asked 15 year old Tony whether he would mourn his father, he would have laughed in your face, but 21 year old Tony had grown to love his father, grown past some of the resentment, grown to realise that Howard had always loved him, in a really fucked up way. 

So he cried.

And he drank.

And he drank some more. 

The newspapers circled him like vultures as he mourned the loss of his parents. A private family matter thrust into the eyes of the world. Rhodey had taken some leave to come and visit Tony during the first couple of weeks but Tony was a wreck. He wallowed in a booze fuelled haze whilst Rhodey desperately tried to help him process his grief. Rhodey tried to ease the flow of alcohol, to make sure Tony was eating properly, to try and distract him with crazy stories from his training in the Air Force. He tried to spark Tony’s interest in his inventions. He even brought Dum-E to Tony’s dorm room, the first robot with AI technology that Tony had created as they graduated from college the first time but nothing worked. In the end Tony lashed out at his best friend and Rhodey returned to his work. Tony took the perceived rejection hard, he started seeking comfort in men and women who were lining up to spend a night with the young bachelor. The companionship helped sooth his heart but he felt empty inside. After trying so hard to gain his dad’s affection as a child, the man was ripped from him just as they were starting to make amends. 

At the age of 21 Tony Stark had become the paparazzi’s dream; young, rich, famous, handsome, and drowning in bad press and scandal. 

At the age of 21 Tony Stark fell from grace and all the world was watching.

* * *

“Odin’s Beard!” Heimdall cursed as he paced around the realm of time as he realised his plan had failed. 

His second mission was proving to be far more difficult than the first. The first had been clear cut: stop Bucky Barnes from becoming the Winter Soldier and keep the two friends together, til the end of the line as they liked to say. His second mission was more subtle, give Tony Stark the support network and friendships he needed. The hope was that this would mellow his personality and help him bond more with the team members that would ultimately become his family, make him more approachable and less defensive. If the Iron Man could open his heart to his friends without the walls and guards then maybe the team would stick together through thick and thin. Without the civil war between Steve and Tony, he hoped that Thanos wouldn’t stand a chance. 

“All is not lost little one.” The serpent-like dragon creature hissed in his ear. He felt a wave of comforting emotions hit him which he was grateful for but it did little to quell his frustration. 

“How can you possibly know that?” Heimdall snapped back. He hadn’t even thought to intercept Howard’s business trip on the day he’d previously died. Bucky Barnes was safely frozen in the ice, the Winter Soldier was not suppose to exist so why would he need to worry about the Starks’ assassination? 

Amusement filled the air as Time chimed a laughter that reverberated around him. “I know everything.” They sang and they somersaulted through the air. 

Heimdall huffed and rolled his eyes as he crossed his arms. “You could have warned me about Howard Stark.” He glared at the creature. 

“I am not permitted to interfere on such a level. I can only guide you but you must use your own knowledge and skills to make the changes.” They replied in a more serious tone. Heimdall felt a flick of their tail across his cheek. “That is why you were chosen. You see more than most.”

“And yet I could not prevent this.” Heimdall sank down onto his knees in despair. This was his first true failure since Time had saved his life. He’d almost messed up when he saved Erskine but the man had lived out his life happily, after Captain Rogers had saved him from Red Skulls clutches, and died peacefully in a small lakeside farm in Canada. Heimdall had no regrets about saving the German scientist. 

Howard had been his one big lead in helping to reshape Tony Stark’s future. Peggy had been a bonus when she had stepped up to be the young boys Godmother, despite her differences with Howard but he’d always hoped her influence would help Howard bond with the young genius. Howard had remained cold and distant throughout Tony’s childhood though. Heimdall thought maybe it was that Howard struggled with having a child in his life but even as Tony grew older, their relationship still failed to grow. So he’d stepped in once more once Tony had graduated from college and finally Peggy had managed to encourage a bond between father and son. He’d let out a sigh in relief and relaxed. Howard may have been an older man but Tony was going to finally get the father he had always craved. 

But Heimdall had relaxed too soon. 

He’d hadn’t even considered Hydra would choose another subject for their Winter Soldier project, and Howard and Maria had paid the price. The more things that were changed throughout the timeline, the more unpredictable it became. Unlike Time, Heimdall had no concept of the possible timelines, he only had the knowledge of his own apocalyptic timeline. From the moment he’d spoken to Sergeant Barnes in the streets of Brooklyn he’d sent ripples through the timeline creating untold changes that he now had to navigate if his mission was to succeed and Thanos was to be defeated. 

“You have done well little one. Do not lose hope now.” Time wrapped around his torso and Heimdall felt a warmth rush over him. The power of their magic was indescribable, he could feel it prickle against his skin and dance in the air around him. 

“Help me.” He pleaded. The creature could not interfere but they could guide him. That was what they had said. 

“He may have died but their relationship had begun to heal.” Time hummed, the words echoing in his mind. “The man of Iron will remember that.”

Heimdall scowled as his vision began to spin. That was no help at all but if Time insisted that it could still be fixed then Heimdall had to trust the creature. The bright white plane that surrounded them faded to black as he returned to Earth. His last thoughts were of the young Tony Stark who was haunted by the death of his parents. He prayed to Time and to his ancestors that he would be able to help soothe the pain before it was too late. 

Only time would tell. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for minor character death. It's canonical but still. I debated about leaving it out but... in the end it was necessary for reasons. 
> 
> Anyhoo. I hope you enjoyed it. Sorry it took so long. I struggled with this chapter and got distracted drawing some art for Twitter Wars instead.
> 
> Comments/kudos are my fav things. Nothing motivates an author more than comments. <3 And if you wanna follow me for more MCU content then I'm at Avengersbarnes on tumblr. I occasionally post sneak peaks from my writing as well as a bonus. :)
> 
> See you next chapter!


	3. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again apologising for delay.... more art making for Twitter War and a change in hyper fixation to Good Omens. That show really hit me with feels. 
> 
> Warnings for this chapter... It's the start of the Iron Man film essentially so active war zone and violence. I'll probably change the rating because of this. Any recognisable dialogue is from the film and not mine, although some is mine and the thoughts behind the dialogue is like.. my interpretation? 
> 
> I hope you like it. Enjoy!

Tony looked out at the desert around them, his leg was shaking as he tried to contain all of his pent up energy. The weapon’s display had been a resounding success and everyone had been rightfully entranced by his showmanship. He rolled his eyes at the memory. Stane’s buddies and contacts were so easy to play. Just make a few things explode and place some well-timed jokes and Tony had them eating out of the palm of his hand. It was dull work.

He much preferred his private meetings with Rhodey and his team within the Air Force. Tony could actually spend time discussing his inventions, what the different specs were, how he had managed to create a shrapnel that was somewhat biodegradable. It wasn’t a fast process but within 5 years time all the casings from his weapons were able to reduce to dust. It had taken him 2 years to get right. He was also beginning to draw on solar energy to power his factories which was reducing his carbon footprint by 12%. 

Stane didn’t give a shit about any of that. He just wanted to make sure the enemies went bye bye. Tony was good at weapons manufacturing and design. It was in his blood some said, but it wasn’t in his heart. Every time he tried to shift Stark Industries into developing clean energy he was blocked by the board. It was frustrating as hell. What was the point of being CEO and Tony fucking Stark if you couldn’t make stupid decisions? He had billions of dollars. The company could take the hit whilst they made the change. 

He sighed and looked around at his travel companions. The driver at the front had his eyes on the road, as they trundled down the dirt track that would take them back to base. Next to them was a man with strange long black dreadlocks. Tony couldn’t remember seeing him before at the display but no one else seemed bothered by his appearance so Tony figured it must be some religious thing. Tony was sat in the back with a younger soldier who hadn’t even looked at him for the entire 10 minutes that they had already been in the vehicle. 

Silence was dangerous for Tony. He found silence so fucking boring. He didn’t even have any of his designs to work on. He was just left with the thoughts in his head that were always too loud. He pulled out a speaker and put some music on. The beat was heavy and he could feel it in his bones. He flexed his fingers out of habit. He was desperate for a glass of whiskey but he’d promised his godmother that he’d really try to cut down. It helped that Rhodey always gave him that heart-wrenching look of disapproving every time Tony accidentally made it to the front page of the news on a night out. He really hated to disappoint his best friend. Those dark chocolate eyes turned to stone and Tony hated the way he felt the blood in his veins chill. 

The music was not working. He tapped his fingers on his thigh to the beat of the music and glanced at the soldier who was sat in the back with him. Finally the kid made eye contact with him and Tony took his chance.

“I feel like you're driving me to a court-martial.” He jested as he tried to break the ice between him and his companions. “This is crazy. What did I do?” He paused but there was no response so he continued.  “I feel like you're going to pull over and snuff me. What, you're not allowed to talk? Hey, Forrest!”  He snapped at the kid. It wasn’t often that people ignored Tony Stark, not since his dad died. He didn’t like it. 

“We can talk, sir.”  The kid answered quietly.

Tony scoffed. This guy was supposed to be a soldier and he couldn’t even talk to a genius billionaire scientist. “Oh, I see. So it's personal?” Tony retorted coldly. 

“No, you intimidate them.” The driver answer as he, no she, glanced back to look at him.

“Good God, you're a woman.” Tony scowled. Peggy would be so disappointed in him. She had raised him better than this. He just had to blurt out how sexist his internal thoughts had been. He paused briefly as he ran through a few scenarios in his head. How could he fix this? “I honestly... I couldn't have called that. I mean, I'd apologise, but isn't that what we're going for here? I thought of you as a soldier first.” 

Soldier first. That was perfect, that’s what his godmother had always strived to be, an Agent first and a woman second. She hated it when people looked down on her back in the day because she was a woman. 

“I'm an airman.” The driver answered bitterly. Tony cursed under his breath, he just couldn’t catch a break. 

“My best friend is Air Force. Colonel Rhodes? You know him? Of course you do. He’s brilliant. I’ve never met a better soldier, not that you’re not brilliant. You are. Thank you for your service.” Tony almost had to clap his hand over his mouth to stop himself from talking any more. He was digging a hole that he wasn’t sure he would be able to get out of.

He turned back to look out of the window. It was still a never ending view of dusty yellow sand and coarse heathland. He glanced back at the driver, relieved to see there was a trace of a faint smile on her face. 

“Sir, I have a question to ask.” The kid next to him asked. 

“Yes, please.” Tony sighed in relief, finally he was getting through to his travel companions. 

“Is it true that Director Carter is your Godmother? Did you Dad really know Captain America?” The young soldier asked with a look of wondrous awe on his face. Tony chuckled and resisted rolling his eyes. Even after all this time and all his achievements in his own right people wanted to asked about his godmother and father. He wondered if he’d ever be free from their shadow. 

“Those are excellent questions. Yes and no. She’s more of an Aunt and my Dad made Captain America.” Tony put on his signature ‘Tony Stark: billionaire’ smile and patted the young soldier on the back. “What’s your name kid?”

“Jimmy, Sir.” The soldier, Jimmy, answered with a starstruck smile. 

“Tony is fine, none of that Sir business. I’m not my father. Nice to meet you Jimmy.” Tony extended his hand which Jimmy took eagerly.

It was still strange, after all these years, that people were excited to meet him. Tony remembered the first time he’d been stopped in the street for an autograph. He hadn’t even realised that he was famous, apparently prodigal son having a meltdown after his parent’s death was A-class news. Once he’d finally pulled his ass out of his booze and sex filled haze and turned up to Stark Industries in a dazzling red and gold suit, the newspapers just couldn’t seem to get enough of him. It was interview after interview, clothing lines, movie cameos, television adverts and sponsors. 

It was a whirlwind of media activity that had stunned a younger Tony Stark. He was just a kid who wanted to invent stuff, who wanted to help change the world. Now people wanted to look like him, they wanted to know every detail about his life. So he created ‘Tony Stark: Billionaire Genius’. This guy oozed confidence and sex appeal, he brought in money to Stark Industries which helped fund Tony’s side projects that went beyond weapons manufacturing, projects that were funded from Tony’s personal profits from his work. This guy didn’t have any rejection issues and knew exactly how to wrap people around his little finger, and anxiety? What even was that? 

Only Peggy and Rhodey could really see past the mask he had created. Although he was pretty positive his PA had cottoned on to his little act. He saw the concerned smiles she gave him when she thought he wasn’t paying attention. He knew how hard she worked in the background to field off unwanted media attention. Pepper had really been a godsend and he’d be lying if he said he hadn’t developed a bit of a crush on the redhead. 

“Is it cool if I take a picture with you?” Jimmy interrupted Tony’s thoughts. Tony blinked as he snapped back to the van, he wasn’t in Stark Tower. He was in Afghanistan. Right. 

“Yes. It's very cool.” Tony winked at Jimmy and leant in to pose for the photo. “I don't want to see this on your MySpace page.”  He joked half seriously. He didn’t really mind but it never hurt to ask. The soldier, Jimmy, nodded and smiled awkwardly at the camera that he’d passed to Dreadlocks in the front seat. He raised his hand and made a peace sign with his fingers. Tony couldn’t resist the joke, sat in a war zone with actual soldiers and Jimmy was making the selfie about peace. “Please, no gang signs.”

“Oh… sorry” Jimmy looked up at him in panic, Tony presumed he worried that he had offended him. 

“No, throw it up. I'm kidding.” Tony reassured him and another pat on the soldier then joined in, making his own peace sign for the camera. “Yeah, peace. I love peace. I'd be out of a job with peace.” Tony added the last part almost bitterly. It was true. He hated it but it was true. Although maybe he’d finally get to work on the designs and inventions he truly loved. 

“Have you got it?” Jimmy asked the other soldier who seemed to be struggling with the camera. 

“Almost.” He replied, Tony furrowed his brow. He knew that voice. Why did he know that voice? He was certain he’d never seen the man before. Tony studied the man’s features more carefully. His golden eyes were looking intently at the small camera. Golden eyes, where had he seen them before, a dream maybe?

“Come on, man. Just click it!” Jimmy laughed at the other soldier. 

A loud blast echoed suddenly through the truck as the vehicle in front of them burst in to flames. Tony’s heart began to race, which truck had Rhodey been in. He was 85% certain that his friend was riding in the car behind them but that other 15% spun into a panic. Rhodey was dead, a car accident, just like his parents. 

“No no no…” Tony mumbled under his breath as he pulled at his seat belt. He had to find Rhodey. He had to find his friend. The other soldiers started to buzz around him as they quickly assessed the situation. “What's going on?” Tony asked. He could help, he prayed that they let him help.

“Contact left!” The golden-eyed man called out and they grabbed there guns. Tony looked around the seat next to him for a weapon he could use. He wasn’t the best shot but he’d spent enough time at the firing range with Pegs to know how to handle himself. 

“What have we got?” Tony asked as he willed his heart to slow down. The adrenaline coursing through his veins was making the whole moment slow to almost a standstill.

“Jimmy, stay with Stark!” The driver yelled as she scrambled out of the car. Tony heard a shot hit the car door. The woman cursed as she narrowly avoided the bullet.

“Stay down!” Jimmy yelled at him, his soldier’s instincts had finally kicked in. Now was no time to be starstruck. 

“I can help!” He shouted back as he ducked for cover. Jimmy either didn’t hear him or didn’t listen. He pulled open his car door, gun already aimed. 

Tony watched, eyes wide, through the dusty glass of the window.

He watched as Jimmy’s body got riddled with bullets and he collapsed lifelessly to the ground. 

Tony could only watch.

“Son of a bitch!” The driver cursed from where she was shooting at the enemy. She pulled an extra clip of ammo from the truck and moved to take Jimmy’s place. 

“Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! Give me a gun!” Tony begged. He couldn’t just watch these soldiers sacrifice their lives like this. It wasn’t fair. He needed to help.

“Stay here!” The dark-skinned man ordered. Tony was about to protest when the vehicle was hit by a volley of gunfire. His ears started to ring and the world fell almost to silence around him. Golden Eyes was nowhere to be seen, the drivers body lay on the ground beside Jimmy’s, all around him soldiers were falling to the ground. He was going to die. 

He was going to die.

Tony launched himself at the remains of the door and pushed it open, almost falling from the truck. His legs felt like jelly and his head wouldn’t stop spinning. The heat of the fire from the surrounding trucks was blistering and he could feel the fibres in his suit start to burn. Who even wears a suit to a war zone? It had been Stane’s idea, like all the terrible ideas in his company. He should be wearing tact gear. He should have insisted. 

He turned the corner around the truck, which he instantly realised was a mistake when the sound of gunfire exploded around him. 

“Shit!” He cursed and plastered his body the back of the truck, taking cover from the bullets. He saw an abandoned rifle of the floor next to the body of a soldier and he took his chance. He dove forward to the ground and grasped the gun tightly in his fingers. He didn’t get a chance to use the weapon as a bomb hit the truck next to him he barely ducked out of the way in time. The explosion behind him threw him forward towards the ground. 

“Nope.” He yelled to no one in particular. He needed to get away from the trucks. They were drawing the fire of their unseen enemies. He stumbled across the open ground, dodging bullets and grenades. It was a miracle that he hadn’t been gunned down. 

“Rhodey!” He called for his friend, the second van can’t have been that far behind, but it was no use. Tony couldn’t see past the debris and fire that surround him. He needed to move. He spotted a large boulder nearby that could provide him with some cover, away from the main battle around the vehicles. He could call Rhodey, he’d know what to do. 

No.

Rhodey was here. He wouldn’t pick up. He wouldn’t know. 

Peggy?

No, he loved his aunt but she was almost 90. She didn’t need the extra stress, not to mention her mind wasn’t as sharp as it used to be. She hadn’t been the same since Aunt Angie had died. 

Pepper. It had to be Pepper. 

She was fiercely smart. She could figure this out, and there was a part of him, that really needed to hear her voice one last time before he inevitably died. She was always so calm, so serene, so powerful. Even when she was mad at him, for one thing or another, she would just raise an eyebrow at him and then walk away. She was the eye in the hurricane that was his life. 

Ok, so maybe he had a bit more than a crush. 

Why was it taking the end of his life to realise that?

He dove behind the rock with a desperate cry. He landed awkwardly on his hip and he winced as the jagged stone dug into his back but it was better than the bullets. He panted for a moment as he got his breath back, he needed to do more cardio if he survived this. He pulled his phone from his suit pocket and frantically started to look for Pepper’s number in his phone, why was she not on speed dial. She should be on speed dial. A whistling noise drew his attention away from his phone as a bomb landed in the dust nearby. Its tail was glowing red and it let off a shrill beeping noise. Tony only had seconds to get to cover.

But he couldn’t move. 

He was transfixed by the writing on the bomb.

It was a logo he knew well. 

Too well. 

Stark Industries.

His own company was about to take his life. 

Wait no. He wasn’t dead yet. _Move Tony!_ He yelled at himself in his head. He scrambled to his feet and tried to hide the other side of the boulder but he was too late. The bomb exploded and he was thrust back in the air. He landed heavily on the sand, his ears were ringing as he blinked the dust from his eyes and looked up at the bright blue sky above him. 

His chest felt like it was on fire. He looked down at his torn up suit, specks of blood were beginning to seep through his white shirt. _Oh god…_ he thought to himself. He hands began to tear at the fabric. He could barely feel his arms and fingers as he tugged his shirt open. His concealed body armour, his own design seeing as Stane thought tact gear was unnecessary, was riddled with debris and shrapnel from the bomb. The dark grey material was soaked in his blood and his head began to spin, dizzy from blood loss. 

This was the end. 

* * *

Everything hurt, the booze was doing nothing to dull the grief. The sex was doing nothing to fill the whole in his heart. He collapsed on his bed and really cried, not the pretty kind you see in movies, where a guy’s eyes glisten before they turn away from the camera.

No.

The ugly kind, the kind that left you dehydrated and gave you a headache, the kind that left you feeling exhausted. 

He cried for his mother, kind, sensitive, darling Maria Stark. The ray of sunshine in his lonely childhood. The woman who had taught him how to tie his shoelaces, and sat him down in front of the expensive piano and given him the gift of music. The woman who had taught him to read and to love. The woman who had tried to be both father and mother for so many years. 

He cried for his father, strong, bold and intelligent, although sometimes cruel. He cried for the relationship they had missed, for the second chance that had been so unfairly cut short. The man who had finally seen Tony as his son, mentoring him carefully and stoically on how to run a business. 

He cried for the friends he had pushed away. First Jarvis, gentle and wise, Jarvis who he had firmly encouraged to retire just to stop the man from seeing him fall apart. Then Rhodey, his best friend of 7 years, who had pulled him, kicking and screaming through college, and not even batted an eye when Tony had rocked up at Rhodey’s 22 birthday party with a boyfriend in tow instead of his usual blonde bombshell. Rhodey, the man that Tony had grown to love more than anyone else in his life, the man that Tony had thrown out on the streets when he had tried to comfort him. 

He was a disaster. His friends deserved better than him. 

There was a quiet knock on his door but he ignored it. He didn’t need anyone to see him like this.

“Tony?” Peggy poked her head around the door. Tony sniffed and wiped the tears from his eyes, trying to regain some semblance of happiness. “Oh darling.” She sighed sadly and strode into the room, her signature heels clicking on the hard wooden floor. 

Tony buried his face in his pillow and did what he did best, tried to push her away. “Go away.” He mumbled against the mouthful of fabric.

“I can’t do that Tony.” The mattress next to him sank as Peggy sat down. 

He felt her fingers run through his hair and he was reminded of a similar moment all those years ago when Peggy had first turned up in his life. He’d been upset then as well. His father had once again shut him out and Tony had been on the edge of giving up on his inventions. Peggy had showed up like his own personal guardian angel. 

She’d been there for him whenever his father failed. She’d been delighted every time he showed her a new design, and in return Peggy had trusted him with one of her greatest secrets. Knowing the Peggy Carter, legendary spy and Director of Shield, was bisexual, had been a real turning point for Tony. He stopped ignoring those niggling feelings that he felt whenever a cute guy walked past. In fact, Peggy had been one of the first people he had come out to, first as bisexual, then later on as pansexual after he discovered the term on a night out in Brooklyn. She pulled him into a hug, and told him she was proud of him. 

“Everyone else does.” Tony mumbled, thinking about how easily Rhodey had walked away when he’d yelled at him, granted that was entirely Tony’s fault but it still hurt.

“Not me, Tony. Never me. Come here darling.” Peggy said softly in her British accent that never seemed to fade. Tony reluctantly hauled himself off his pillow and moved into her open arms.“You’re parents haven’t left you sweetheart.” She added.

“They died Pegs.” Tony retorted coldly. He was not disillusioned. He knew they hadn’t meant to leave him but the effect was still the same “There’s no coming back from that.”

“That’s true, and it hurts, of course it hurts, but they haven’t left you.” Peggy insisted, she wrapped her arms around him tightly and rested her chin on his head. His recent growth spurts meant he was almost too tall to curl up in her arms like he used to. The hug was almost awkward with the strange height difference between them, but neither of them seemed to care. 

“Is this the part where you tell me they live on in my heart?” Tony scoffed. 

“Something like that.” He practically hear the eye roll in Peggy’s voice. “Do you want to talk about it?” She asked. 

“About what?” He snapped. He didn’t mean to. He just couldn’t seem to rein in his emotions.  “How my parents got run off the road and I found out from some assholes in the library?”

“About why you are here, alone, drinking yourself to death?” Peggy shot back as she squeezed him tighter in the hug. Her voice was calm but firm which he appreciated. She always knew how far she needed to push him and when to back off.

“Oh… that.”

“Mhmm. Where’s Rhodey? I heard he’d taken some time off work?” She pulled back slightly and looked down at Tony with her big brown wise eyes. There were more wrinkles around the corners of her eyes and mouth than he remembered, more strands of white nestled in the deep chocolate brown of her hair. It was a sad reminder that his godmother, like his parents, really wouldn’t be around forever. 

“Didn’t need him.” Tony lied. Pushing Rhodey away had been the stupidest thing he’d done in all his 21 years, and he’d done some really stupid shit, like trying to create a time machine using a toaster during his first year at MIT. 

“And all the company you’ve been keeping instead?” Peggy raised an eyebrow. He could feel the silent judgement from his godmother. He scowled, so he’d had some fun exploring his sexuality more recently. It turned out that sex really did make you feel good, if only for a short while, and not everyone found the love of their life during world war two and never looked back.

“Thought it might help?” He offered up as a suggestion.

“Did it?” She chuckled lightly at the idea.

“What do you think?” Tony quipped as he gestured to the tear stained pillow. 

“Call Rhodey. He’s worried about you, Tony” Peggy insisted as she swatted his arm. 

“Oh Goodie.” Just what he needed, more guilt about how he was a constant disappointment.

“And Stark Industries is in need of their new CEO” Peggy ignored his sarcasm, not even an eye roll or a raised eyebrow. 

“What?” He asked, slightly stunned by his suggestion. He wasn’t the CEO of Stark Industries, that was his father and there was no way in hell Howard had actually…

“Howard left the company to you” Peggy cut off his train of thought. It was like she could read his mind sometimes. “And I don’t trust that friend of his. Stane is a nasty piece of work.” 

“Call Rhodey. Go to work. Got it.” He mumbled, still shocked by her revelation. 

She ruffled his hair and stood up, making her way to his door. “and Tony?” She turned around on her killer red heels with a smirk on her face. 

“Yeah?”

“Have a shower darling.”  She gave him a wink and left the room. Tony scowled, he didn’t need a shower. He was fine. Wasn’t he? 

He sniffed under his arms and grimaced. Ok, maybe his godmother had a point. He had let his personal hygiene go a bit recently. The thought of the hot water running down his skin suddenly felt very appealing. He pealed of his shirt and headed towards the bathroom. It was time to stop moping and get on with his life. 

* * *

Tony blinked. His ears were still ringing but he could vaguely hear voices around him. They were speaking in a language that he didn’t understand. He tried to look around but his vision was disrupted by a dirty thin hood. He took a shaky breath as he wondered what on earth was happening. He grimaced, the hood stank of gunpowder and rotten flesh. Why were his ears ringing? Where was Pepper? Didn’t he call her? 

This had to be a dream, that’s why he couldn’t understand the voices properly. 

The hood was pulled off his head and he winced at the bright light that was beaming in his face. He struggled to focus on his surroundings, it was like he was swimming through thick mud, and looking at the world through frosted glass. Was he drunk? 

Were they guns? He started to panic, he had to get out of here but his legs weren’t listening. They were tied to the legs of the chair he was sitting in, he tried to lift his hands but they felt heavier than a ton of bricks and he realised they were tied behind his back. He focused on his breathing, trying to keep it calm and steady, just like Peggy taught him. He glanced around again as he head began to clear, there was a small hand held video camera pointed at his face, he could see the little red light flickering in the darkness. The shadows shrouded his enemies’ faces from view, another tick in the this is a dream theory. 

He gritted his teeth together and his jaw clenched, willing the scene around him to change into something more pleasant, but  it never did and Tony began to remember the van, the explosions, the bomb. 

It wasn’t a dream. This was very very real and he was in serious danger. Determined not to let them see his fear, he stared directly into the film camera stoically, hoping that Rhodey or Pepper or Happy or somebody would help him.

Otherwise he was a deadman. 

The red light of the camera switched off and the voices lowered to a murmur. He still had no clue what they were saying but he guessed there was something to do with money and ransoms. He’d watched the movies, he knew how this went. There was sharp blow to the back of his head and his eyes rolled back, Tony Stark slumped forward in his chair as he was once again knocked unconscious.

* * *

Tony wriggled his toes inside his fancy shoes. He hated the fancy shoes. He liked suits well enough. Especially when he could get them tailored so they fit him perfectly. His had a whole selection of suits in an array of different colours and fabrics. It became his own unique way of expressing himself at Stark Industries. After all he couldn’t exactly wear band tees to meetings, not that he hadn’t tried that already. 

But the shoes. 

Oh how he hated them. He would much rather be wearing Converse but this was an important meeting. Tony was 22 years old and ready to really make his mark on Stark Industries. He was going to pitch the idea to Stane and the rest of the board that they could move away from weapons manufacturing. If he could just convince Stane then he was in with a chance. 

There was a knock at his door so Tony grabbed the pile of paper in front of him and shuffled it, trying to get the corners of the paper to align. He scowled as the offending pile just got more messy, how did they make this look so easy in movies. He vowed in that moment to develop a paperless system for Stark Industries. He’d developed a more efficient computer system to help him during his years a MIT but it was expensive and wouldn’t be practical within a business environment, yet. 

“Tony? You in there?” Stane called from behind the door. 

Tony cursed under his breath. His brain and gotten so distracted with thoughts of computers and new invention ideas that he’d forgotten to answer the knock at the door. So much for looking professional.

“Yeah, sorry. Come on in.” He didn’t stand up as Stane entered his father’s office, well, his office now. Peggy had warned him when his father had started getting closer to Stane that she didn’t trust him. So Tony had always kept the man at arm’s length. His father thought it was just Tony’s childish whims but Tony stood by his godmother’s assessment. Stane stayed standing when Tony gestured for him to take a seat. He resisted rolling his eyes at the older man; such an obvious power play, such fragile masculinity. 

Tony offered the bald man a biscuit from the bowl on his desk but Stane shook his head stoically. Tony shrugged his shoulder and grabbed a ginger snap for himself. He wasn’t going to go hungry just because Stane was being an ass. They exchanged small talk for a few minutes, Stane’s cat had had to go to the vet, Tony had received news that his most recent PhD paper work had all gone through alright so he would be attending his fourth Graduation in the fall. 

“So I’m thinking,” Tony did his best to sound nonchalant as he broached the subject he’d invited Stane here for. “Dad did a great job cornering the weapons market.” 

“His work was legendary” Stane replied sombrely, a textbook expression of grief fell over his face. “The accident was atragedy.”

Tony almost scoffed. Stane was really hamming up the feelings, going for the sympathy vote. Maybe Tony’s perception of Stane had been tainted by Peggy, but he couldn’t help but see manipulation in every interaction he had with the man. It was a damned shame he couldn’t get rid of the man without the board’s approval. “Yeah yeah. I’m very sad. He was a model parent.”

“Stark Industries won’t be the same without him.” Stane continued as if Tony hadn’t even spoken. He scowled, this was not where he wanted the conversation to go. 

“Precisely! That’s what I was thinking…” Tony interrupted Stane but the older man cut him off almost immediately.

“I trust you’ll honour his legacy, Anthony.” Stane fixed him with a steely stare.

Tony grimaced at the use of his full name. “Tony.” He corrected, “Sure. His legacy. I was thinking, what if we moved into clean energy?” Tony wanted to hide under the desk almost as soon as the words left his mouth. He could see Stane’s face freeze as he tried to process Tony’s words

“What?” He stuttered. 

Tony absolutely did not panic and almost throw all his notes on the floor whilst looking for the right piece of paper.  He just, decided they looked better on the floor. He snatched up his design for a portable arc reactor and thrust it towards Stane who was watching him, clearly unimpressed. “The arc reactor. We can develop that and other alternatives.”

“Tony that is ridiculous and completely disrespectful to the company that your father built from the ground up.” The other man tossed the paper onto the floor with the others.

“No no.” Tony lunged to catch the paper as it floated towards the floor. “It’ll be a new era, growth and development. Dad always meant to do more with the arc reactor but he couldn’t work it out. I could do that!” He pleaded. Why couldn’t Stane understand? This was important. They only had one planet, why waste it with war. He looked up from the floor at his nemesis, surrounded by his rejected designs for a better way of life. Stane’s cold eyes bore down on him and Tony suddenly felt very small indeed.

“Tony, I mean no disrespect but your father had over 50 years of experience and couldn’t work it out. You’ll never manage it. We need to continue with weapon development. I’m sure the board will agree.” Stane turned to walk away, trampling over the bits of paper that were scattered around the office.

“But…” Tony stuttered.

“I’m sorry Tony. It’ll never work”  Stane’s voice was cruel as the door slammed behind him leaving Tony alone in his office, fighting back tears. 

This was his company and he would not let Stane walk over him again like that. He had to be better, stronger, smarter.

He had to really become his father’s son.

* * *

Tony was covered in grease and in desperate need of a shower, not that he had realised that yet. He was making some amendments to Peggy’s car. She couldn’t drive it properly anymore but the brilliant red paint was starting to flake around the anti-gravity pads and the inner mechanisms were starting to rust. He was thinking that the rust problem could be fixed using a titanium alloy that he preferred to use in his personal inventions these days. It was much lighter than its predecessor and Tony could easily cover the cost.  He just needed to work out a way to get the rusted parts out without destroying the anti-gravity pads. 

He got JARVIS to run a simulation whilst he grabbed a handful of grapes. Pepper was buzzing around with a clip board, trying to get him to sign off on some CEO decisions that Tony just wasn’t interested in. He should get Pepper to make the decisions, she actually had a passion for business and the company. Tony just wanted to make his inventions and help the world, and he really did not want to go into an active war zone to sell weapons. It was almost 20 years since he’d taken over Stark Industries and he still couldn’t get the board to sign off on clean energy. It didn’t matter that Tony’s house now ran completely on the energy made by the arc reactor, it didn’t matter than Tony could literally start a line of energy efficient hover cars tomorrow if they let him. The board wanted weapons.

“I need you to sign this before you get on the plane.” Pepper thrust the clipboard in front of his face, forcing him to look up from his work properly for the first time since she’d walked into the room.

Tony was momentarily stunned, he always forgot how beautiful his assistant was; the way her hair, even when it was tied up, framed her face, the way she always looked so professional and smart in her work attire, the way she tried not to smile whenever Tony did something that was utterly ridiculous which was more often than not.

“What are you trying to get rid of me for? What, you got plans?” Tony teased the red-head, not that he was fishing. He knew she was single, he knew she was entitled to date. He’d even helped her get some time off to go on a date last year when his HR team were being an ass about holiday entitlement. No he wasn’t fishing, he was just… taking an interest. 

“As a matter of fact, I do.” Pepper raised her eyebrow and smirked at him, like she knew exactly what he was doing which, of course, was not fishing.

“I don't like it when you have plans.” Tony grumbled. It was true. It was a lot harder to run a business without his best assistant by his side. 

Pepper laughed, a beautiful melodic laugh that made Tony’s heart soar. “I’m allowed to have plans on my birthday.” She nudged him playfully. 

“It's your birthday?”  Tony scowled. How had he forgotten? He had all his staff’s birthdays scribbled on a wall chart in his office. He always made sure he sent chocolates or flowers or something else depending on any known allergies. So why had he forgotten Pepper’s birthday? _(What he didn’t know was that Pepper had removed her name from the wall chart herself)_

“Yes” She nodded with a playful smile. 

“I knew that.” Tony blurted out, or rather he should have known that. “Already?” He asked with a dopey grin on his face. The way Pepper was smiling at him was making his heart to strange things. He was having… feelings? He wasn’t sure he liked it. That had never ended well for him in the past. 

“Yeah. Isn't that strange? It's the same day as last year.” Pepper rolled her eyes at him in an amused sort of way. 

“Get yourself something nice from me.” Tony spluttered. He meant it to come out all cool and suave, but his more confident persona was failing him.

“I already did.” Pepper tilted her head, her eyes sparkling mischievously. 

“And?” Tony asked, wondering what his assistant would have bought herself, probably something much nicer than his usual box of expensive chocolates. Although maybe for Pepper he would have gone for some nice jewellery, the sparkly kind to match her eyes. 

“It was very nice.” She smiled softly at him. 

“Yeah?” Tony asked, too dumbstruck, or lovestruck, to think of anything else to say. He hoped that Pepper hadn’t noticed. _(She had)_

“Very tasteful. Thank you, Mr. Stark.” Pepper squeezed his arm and Tony could almost feel the air crackling between them. For the first time in years Tony resisted the urge to close the distance between them, to seduce and flirt, to press his lips against Pepper’s undeniably soft ones. 

He didn’t do any of that. Instead he took a step back, to give himself and his assistant some space. 

“You're welcome, Miss Potts.” Tony breathed softly. 

* * *

Tony was being bundled into the back of an army vehicle. It stank of gunpowder and diesel, and Tony scrunched up his nose in disgust. This was why he was trying to move to clean energy, less crap being thrown out into the air but he was great at weapons so it was weapons that he made.

“Hey, Tony.” Rhodey was waving at him over the heads of the younger soldiers. Tony considered making them let Rhodey ride with him, but this was a professional occasion and it wasn’t proper for him to be making banter in the back of the truck with the commanding officer of the trip. They could catch up properly once they got home. It had been too long since they had the chance to just unwind over a cocktail with some good music playing in the background. 

“I'm sorry, this is the ‘fun-vee’ The ‘hum-drum-vee’ is back there.” Tony waved off his friend nonchalantly, hoping that his best friend would realise it was all an act, a show for their audience. They had to keep it strictly professional, Tony had learnt early on that it was best not to mix work and play. 

A flash of hurt crossed his friend’s eyes and Tony swore under his breath. He hated hurting Rhodey but it could never seem to help it. “Nice job. See you back at base.” Rhodey turned his back on Tony’s van and headed to the vehicle behind them. 

Tony’s eyes followed the retreating figure of his best friend. Tony thought he looked rather dashing in his army uniform. Yeah, it was definitely better to keep it professional. Tony wouldn’t regret being separated from his friend for the short car journey. It was nothing personal.

In hindsight, he would be grateful that Rhodey was further away from the explosion that would change his life forever.

* * *

Tony gasped for air, the bitter taste of sulphur danced on his tongue. His head felt heavy and his chest was on fire. He groaned as he blinked away the light that was burning his eyes, remembering through his delusional fog that he was not bickering with Rhodey about which car they would drive in, or at his workshop with Pepper, or battling Stane about Stark Industries policies. He was in hell instead. 

The cave was dark around him, but he could hear voices around him. He scrambled to sit up but something pulled at his chest, and he was shocked with a jolt of electricity. He panicked and glanced down to see and plethora of wires circling where his heart should be. 

“Shit! shit shit.” He cursed and started to claw at his chest. He must still be asleep.

_Please God Let this all be a dream._

Dark, soot covered hands covered his own to stop his nails from pulling apart the contraption, that looked suspiciously like an electromagnet.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” A kind voice said. Tony looked up to see a gentle looking man looking down at him. His glasses were almost falling off the end of his nose and his tanned skin was just as sooty and greasy as his hands. Tony wondered how long the man had been trapped, how long had _he_ been trapped?

“What the hell did you do to me?” Tony squeaked as he tried to hold back the tears that were welling up in his eyes and blurring his vision. 

“What I did?” The man asked and Tony nodded weakly, not trusting his voice to remain calm. “What I did was save your life?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Voila! That's the chapter. This my first story that really focusses on Tony so I am hoping the characterisation is alright. There will be subtle changes obviously, what with Heimdall and Peggy influencing him from a young age, but I love Tony's character and I don't want to make him unrecognisable so umm.. yeah. Hope it's ok? 
> 
> Kudos/Comments are awesome and I'm on tumblr @Avengersbarnes so come and say hi :) 
> 
> \- Yaz


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